Former Viking sentenced

A former Minnesota Vikings player was sentenced Aug. 29 in Anoka County District Court for assaulting another man at an April 2012 birthday party in Oak Grove.

Caleb Darnell King, 25, Lilburn, Ga., pleaded guilty July 26 to interference with a 911 call, which is a gross misdemeanor, along with a misdemeanor charge of fifth-degree assault.

Although a 365-day jail sentence was stayed for two years as long as he does not violate the terms of his two years on probation, King must pay his victim $1,049.38 in restitution and he must pay the county $385 for court fines. The court file says he must pay the restitution within six months and before he pays the court fines.

King must also take anger management classes in either Georgia or Minnesota as part of the probation terms.

“I am satisfied that Mr. King is taking responsibility for his actions that night,” said Anoka County Attorney Tony Palumbo.

According to the criminal complaint, a 911 call was made around 3:20 a.m. April 28, 2012 from an Oak Grove home on the 3400 block of 192nd Lane. The dispatcher could hear commotion in the background, but had no direct communication with anyone, but the call was tracked.

The female homeowner told police that nothing was wrong, but Mercy Hospital four hours later said they had an assault victim.

The male victim had skull and nasal fractures and received 19 sutures to repair lacerations to the bridge of his nose and mouth. There were also abrasions over his face from the hairline down to his upper lip.

The man told police that King had punched him in the face after accusing him of calling him names earlier in the evening. King grabbed the man’s neck and pulled him out of the vehicle he was sitting in while he was trying to call 911.

His cell phone records showed he had called 911 at 3:20 a.m. and the call lasted almost four minutes.

King denied punching the man when police asked him about the incident during post-Miranda questioning, according to the complaint.